From the NDA convener Sharad Yadav's sun-lit courtyard in the Capital, Advani challenged the Congress to come clean on his charge that Manmohan was running a government appointed by corporate lobbyists.

The old war horse had clearly sensed that the magnitude of corruption that has come to light and revelations from tapped conversations provide him the perfect opportunity to avenge his Lok Sabha defeat.

The floundering Opposition had suddenly smelt blood and was going in for the kill.

"Spectrum is not confined to just being a case of governmental corruption. It is a multi- dimensional scam that brings to question the whole issue of how the government was constituted, how portfolios were distributed and which corporate lobbyist was influencing decisions that ought to have been taken by the PM," Advani said.

With acerbic wit and sarcasm, Advani reflected that his impression that prime ministers were " only appointed in 10 Janpath" was wrong. These days, he said, " some others" besides Sonia Gandhi were appointing ministers.

Referring to a tapped conversation in which lobbyist Nira Radia is heard discussing which party should get what portfolio in 2009 with sundry media professionals and corporate honchos, Advani said, "We have seen lobbyists for big business houses dictating not just which party should get what portfolio but also who in that party should get it. Earlier, we were under the impression that the UPA makes prime ministers in 10 Janpath?God knows what has happened now. It seems big business houses are appointing ministers. It is an extraordinary situation."

Ever since the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, the BJP has avoided attacking either the PM or Sonia Gandhi directly. This is because Advani's consistent targeting of the Prime Minister in the runup to the last general elections boomeranged on the BJP.

The Prime Minister's image was at an all-time high at the time and in their post-election analyses, the BJP figured that targeting him had proved to be counter-productive for the party. However, the Teflon-coating is clearly showing signs of wearing off. Advani no longer believes that people will be offended if Manmohan Singh is attacked.

Accordingly, the BJP veteran turned his attention to what the Prime Minister had said earlier on Tuesday with regard to the Radia tapes while addressing a business conference in the Capital. Singh had sought to reassure the corporate India that the government did not seek to misuse invasive provisions such as phone-tapping.

"I am aware of the nervousness in some sections of the corporate sector arising out of the powers conferred upon governmental authorities to tap phones. Legal mechanisms already exist and they are in place. They need to be strengthened for more effective enforcement," the Prime Minister said.

He said that the cabinet secretary K. M. Chandrasekhar would examine " all aspects of the issue", adding that there was a need to find " solutions through technology" to prevent non- governmental agencies from gaining access to telephone conversations.

Advani ripped apart the Prime Minister's statement. He said it was shocking that the first public statement from Singh on the issue had addressed ' trivialities'. "This is shocking? The PM has asked the cabinet secretary to look into tapping and suggest measures to prevent leakages. At a time like this, is this the only issue that should worry the Prime Minister of India? He is not worried about the credibility of his own government. His prime concern is how the people got to know," he exclaimed.

"He is looking for technological solutions. For what? To stop leakages? Are these the matters that should exercise the PM under the circumstances? I just don't understand this," he said.

This was vintage Advani; sensing an opportunity to put the government on the mat, strategising and taking a coherent and strong message to the masses through a series of countrywide rallies and marches that the NDA plans to organise against " corruption in the Congress" from December 22. He justified stalling Parliament for the whole session saying the one issue that concerned the people was " corruption in government". The elderly leader asserted that the Bihar elections were a pointer to how " isolated" the Congress currently is in the debate on corruption.

It was evident from the attack that the Opposition felt that in the Congress's isolation was the key to political expansion of the NDA. Advani signaled the beginning of a prolonged period of political realignment that may witness a number of fence- sitters - the Biju Janata Dal in Orissa, the Asom Gana Parishad in Assam, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in Andhra Pradesh and even the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal - converging at the NDA's doorstep.

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